Howdy from Seattle

Hiya, folks. Been smoking pipes off and on for 25+ years. Started on vanilla aromatics, which sustained me for several years. Moved away from the sweet and started sampling the 'hard stuff', Nightcap, Penzance, and Margate. Became involved with cigars (but in a nice way), briefly attempted Virginia flakes, and eventually settled on assorted Gawith Hoggarth & Co blends, particularly Dark Birds Eye, Sliced Black Irish X, and Bosun Cut Plug. Off-and-on member of the Seattle Pipe Club, when I remember to send in my dues, that is, since its inception.

My principal hobby is black and white photography followed by wet printing in the darkroom. Vying for second place are pipes and reading, which is handy, as I usually do them simultaneously. My favorite drink is Belgian ale, or a nice peaty single malt.

Dark Birdseye is some good stuff! I like to imagine it being most similar to the type of tobacco a gentleman might have enjoyed 100+ years ago... Equally suited to fireside pontification as it is to the hunting trail or fishing schooner

I recently moved to Seattle, and wondered if you know any good tobacconist shops?

Um... No.

There is the last Tinderbox in the area near Tacoma Mall with OK prices on the bulk but the tins are outrageously priced, $25 + for 50g when they have them. There is Rain City Cigar in Georgetown but all they have is Saseni tins and Altadis bulks, but they occasionally have some great pipes and they're really friendly. There's a couple of locations of Kirsten but the last time I visited the Fisherman's Wharf location, they were out of almost everything and what they did have was way overpriced... $10 to $15 an oz for bulk and they have seemed to stop making their pipes. I haven't been to the one downtown so you may find something different there. Other than that the only other I know is Lil Brown in Yakima... 4 to 5 hours round trip but it maybe worth it, average tin price is $7.

Rich's in downtown Portland, which if you can miss the traffic you can probably do in 5 hours round trip. Before you get to Portland there's a Paul's on Jantzen Beach, (just across the border), they always treated me well.

I second Scot's comments. The Greater Seattle area sucks where viable pipe shops are concerned.

The one exception is (was?) the Tobacco Patch in Kirkland; I haven't been there in several years, so I can't say what it's like today... I see an excursion to Kirkland in my near future.

This is one that I've not heard of... I checked and the website no longer exists, called the phone number and someone answered but I have no idea if it's a specialty shop with glass implements of smoking pleasure that us pipe smokers can't live without... nudge, nudge.

Well... I have no idea if they stock water pipes and other such smoking apparatus... but the last time I was in there they had some lovely Sav Autographs. I think they're primarily a cigar store. Dang it, I gotta get over there this next week!

The Tobacco Patch in Kirkland is primarily a cigar store with pipe stuff. The place is much smaller than I remember from 6-8 years ago; they seem to have lost about 2/3 of their former floor space. I saw no sign of 'alternative non-tobacco' smoking gear. (There is such a place just around the corner though, with lots of shiny hookas on display; I didn't go in.)

They have mostly mid-range pipes, Mastro de Paja, Peterson, WO Larson, etc. They do have some Autographs and Castellos if you have money to burn. Their tobacco selection is pretty pedestrian, from MacBaren to ... uh... I don't remember what else!

Not a bad place, in a lovely part of town (tons of restaurants and lots of pleasant strolling), but a far cry from what pipe shops used to be before we got slammed by the 125% tobacco tax here.

There was also, at one time, a Tobacco Patch at the Pike Place Market. I haven't been there in years, so no idea if it's still there.

The Tobacco Patch in Kirkland is primarily a cigar store with pipe stuff. The place is much smaller than I remember from 6-8 years ago; they seem to have lost about 2/3 of their former floor space. I saw no sign of 'alternative non-tobacco' smoking gear. (There is such a place just around the corner though, with lots of shiny hookas on display; I didn't go in.)

They have mostly mid-range pipes, Mastro de Paja, Peterson, WO Larson, etc. They do have some Autographs and Castellos if you have money to burn. Their tobacco selection is pretty pedestrian, from MacBaren to ... uh... I don't remember what else!

Not a bad place, in a lovely part of town (tons of restaurants and lots of pleasant strolling), but a far cry from what pipe shops used to be before we got slammed by the 125% tobacco tax here.

There was also, at one time, a Tobacco Patch at the Pike Place Market. I haven't been there in years, so no idea if it's still there.

It was there about a year ago. Good selection of tinned 'baccys at twice the internet price and some bulk, couple dozen pipes, and a walk-in humi for cigars.

I didn't buy anything, but probably should have just to help support one of the last tobacconists in Seattle.

Cheers,

RR

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